“It was an interesting call to say the least!” LaSalle Fire Chief Randy Howe said after all firefighters - and the doe - were back to shore.

Rick Boose, who lives in on LaPlaisance Woods St. off Mortar Creek Dr. and LaPlaisance Rd., in LaSalle Township explained what happened. Mr. Boose and other neighbors occasionally see deer in the woods along the Lake Erie shoreline. But late Wednesday afternoon, they noticed three deer apparently got confused with the broken ice, fell through about 200 to 300 yards off shore and were struggling to get out of the water.

About the time a witness called 911 for help at 5:39 p.m., one adult deer and one yearling had managed to get themselves on safer ice and then to shore. Those two animals took refuge near Mr. Boose’s house, but hesitated as if they were looking for the third, so he turned off the outside lights. “We didn’t want to spook them,” he said.

“They stood in front of my house for about 40 minutes,” he added.

LaSalle’s firefighters then planned out how to rescue the remaining one - a female weighing about 200 pounds.

Fire Chief Howe said three firefighters stood on shore. Three others, secured by safety ropes and equipment, walked out on the ice. The fire department’s aluminum boat was close by in case they needed it. But they reached the doe on foot.

“They basically wrestled it back to shore,” he said.

Given the size of the animal, it was quite a task to send it in the right direction. The entire rescue effort took about 50 minutes.

“My guys are exhausted,” Fire Chief Howe said.

After the doe got to land, it shook itself off, and then ran away.

The first two deer ran away before rescue efforts were done; possibly scared off by the commotion, Mr. Boose said.